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#if the writers won’t make it canon then looks like we just have to do it ourselves yk
howdoyouwhiskit · 5 months
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*deep breath* so I’ve been meaning to make a big post about House re:mobility aids and chronic pain treatment for a LONG time so here we go this is gonna be a long ride that probably won’t make a lot of sense in regards to a linear narrative so buckle up motherfuckers
Disclaimer: I am disabled, have chronic pain, and am an ambulatory mobility aid user. I have experience using a cane, forearm crutches, a rollator, and a walker. I understand everyone’s experiences are different. I am writing this from my personal experience with mobility aids which may influence some interpretations of things
Let’s start with the obvious one, House uses his cane wrong. They recognize this in canon. It isn’t simply a case of “oh the show writers were lazy and it’s never mentioned.” What I haven’t seen people discuss is that using a cane the way House does (in my experience anyways) fucking hurts. It isn’t comfortable at all. It feels awkward and clunky and at least personally within a few minutes of using a cane in that fashion my *entire body* hurts. Plus, it doesn’t even really help take the pressure off of my leg pain.
Given the all of him there’s two conclusions that I’d like to make about this (and remember this isn’t canon, just simply my interpretation as a disabled person):
It’s very obvious that House has Feelings about mobility aids. Society can often make people think that using mobility aids is a weakness. Admitting something is wrong. House very clearly doesn’t like to do either of those things. I personally have incredibly complicated feelings about mobility aids that I can’t even begin to put into words. I see myself in House in this regard.
I can’t help but think that him using his cane incorrectly is some fucked up form of self punishment. It’s been brought up in canon that House has a tendency to self harm in various ways. I don’t think that people realizing that him using a cane incorrectly could be related. For those who are unfamiliar, using any mobility aid (even a cane) incorrectly can cause damage. I do not claim to be a doctor but I imagine that House would be dealing with back and shoulder issues at minimum from using his cane the way he does.
The next thought I have is something I think about a lot. It’s clear House’s pain fluctuates, as it does for a lot of chronic pain patients. What I don’t see a lot of people talking about is realistically he could fluctuate mobility aids with the fluctuations of his pain. Yes, I understand there are limitations within his career as a doctor, but this is House MD were talking about there isn’t exactly always exact medical realism is there? I just can’t help but wonder, what would House’s life look like, if he let himself use something other than a cane?
I know there’s an episode where House does use a wheelchair for access to an accessible parking space, and I really really wish they expanded upon this more in canon. Personally, I think House needing to be (but not necessarily acting on it) a part time ambulatory wheelchair user makes sense.
I’ve read some fic/headcanons about House needing a wheelchair (Berber it be due to an advancement in disability or as an acceptance of his current disability) yet everyone talks about him using a shitty hospital grade chair. He’s a doctor who probably has great insurance plus a lofty department head paycheck. If House were in a position to have a wheelchair, he could very very easily access a top of the line custom made chair.
I understand the representation of the standard hospital chair often comes from a place of ignorance about custom wheelchairs, I really do. I just think that the concept of using a hospital chair permanently can cloud the judgement of if it’s truly a “bad thing” or not. Hospital wheelchairs are fucking uncomfortable and not easy to use. A custom chair, when built right, is none of these things.
Just, I’d love more House fanwork that embraces the idea of mobility aids. No, I don’t mean make House randomly decide “oh I’m gonna accept help now” and make him OOC. No, I mean let’s actually dive into House’s feelings about mobility aids, create some fanworks where maybe he works through some of his internalized ableism and self hatred and lets himself be accommodated. I hate seeing fic after fic that makes it seem like it’s some tragedy that House needs crutches or a walker or wheelchair. I want it to be normalized. Disability can be progressive and that’s just life. Yes, it’s upsetting. Yes, it can be sad to those involved. No, it doesn’t mean the end of the world.
Now I think it’s time to talk in regards to the treatment of his chronic pain, outside of the way he accommodates his mobility. I think that, while this is probably related to the writers wanting to stick to the “addicted to Vicodin” plot line, House’s pain management in the series, sucks, to put it lightly. I’ve been to multiple pain management programs (both at formal PM clinics and informal PM done by other specialists) and any doctor worth their salt would have had him on some sort of nerve pain medication and probably some form of muscle relaxer from the very beginning. While, yes, one could argue that House is on these medications and it’s just not mentioned, I really really don’t think that’s the case. You could also argue that he may have been offered these things, and simply refused them. This could very well be the case. However, that doesn’t erase the fact that these things could be helpful.
When House is off Vicodin, they have him substantiating off of exclusively ibuprofen. I’ve had chronic pain bad enough to need opioids treated with high doses of ibuprofen and in my personal experience, it doesn’t do shit. It just upsets your stomach and risks kidney issues and doesn’t actually help with the pain. The fact that just because he deals with addiction he doesn’t get proper pain management is BONKERS to me.
I understand that they were, within the shows canon, attempting to claim that at least some of the pain was psychological. Just because someone’s pain is psychological doesn’t mean you do not treat it. There are plenty of ways to treat psychological pain. Again, one could argue that House simply refused. Again, I’d say that you might be right.
You notice that I say that House very realistically could’ve refused various treatments that could make his life better. Just like how it is with his cane, I believe this is an effort at self punishment. If these efforts at self punishment are conscious or not is genuinely up to you. I personally view it as unconscious, but again, as I said in the beginning, I’m interpreting this the way I see things.
Anyways, just needed to get my thoughts out there, as a crippled person who’s been obsessed with House since before they realized that their chronic pain wasn’t normal. Since before they realized that the word disabled was something that could be applied to them.
Feel free to reply to this with thoughts or questions and y'all are more than welcome to DM me to pick my brain about this!
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imakatperson22 · 7 days
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I’m back with more thoughts:
(It’s long but I put a lot of effort into it so please read!):
I’m seeing a lot of concern for buddie’s canon potential from a network/business standpoint. People are worried it will be too much of a gamble for the network to go all in on buddie. Let’s break that gamble down:
(This is considering the sole factor of network strategy and not whether the actors are willing to do it or if the writer’s choose to go down that road. For the sake of argument, let’s say everyone is on board except network execs.)
Let’s start by looking at the environment of the television industry. Back in ye olden days, at the dawn of modern fandom, queer ships were not ever expected to be canon. Those who shipped them had this understanding and shipping largely remained a thought experiment or creative inspiration. It was always JUST FOR FUN because there were no meaningful consequences to it. In this era, it probably would’ve been a bad bet to introduce a queer love story because we hadn’t reached a place in society where it was not only tolerated but rooted for by a meaningful amount of a show’s audience.
Today is an entirely different ball game. Today queer people have gained enough power in society and proven they will consume media involving queer romance enough to make it profitable to include these plots. Today, we as a community have enough allies who also have a desire to see our stories told. Coupled with internet fanfiction and social media platforms, we now have the opportunity to engage in a pseudo dialogue with those who produce content. Now, shipping and fandoms have reached a point where our voices and our opinions do actually have weight to them. Now, we have the opportunity to affect change to a piece of media. We have somewhat of a say. There are now consequences to our actions.
It’s a risk, yes, to get the two (until recently, presumably heterosexual) main macho male leads together because of homophobia. But this show already has a lesbian couple. The viewers who will leave if buddie gets together because “the writer’s turned them gay” are probably not the same fans who are tuning in every week without fail to watch their favorite characters. They’re more likely casual viewers. They come and go, drifting in and out because it’s something to put on in the background or because the rescues are interesting. So yes, it’s quite possible viewers abandon the show due to buddie canon, but these fans were likely not a solid, dependable group in the first place.
On the other hand, it IS also a gamble to NOT make Buddie canon. This is the (flag)ship (flagship ship?) of the show. Not every loyal viewer ships them, but probably most do, and they do so strongly. If they shut the door on Buddie becoming canon, this will absolutely alienate a hefty chunk of the shows viewers as well. If they don’t walk the line close enough on the “will they, won’t they”, these fans will get frustrated with the lack of payoff and leave. Gone are the days where fandoms stay satisfied if the show tosses them a crumb, a wink in their direction, for their ship because now the option for more is on the table. We know the network knows what we want. We know they see us asking for it. Ignoring it in and of itself is a decision. Competition is stiff and if you decide not to capitalize on fans’ desire for queer romance, they have other options. If they choose to not make buddie canon, many of these viewers will also abandon the show. The difference is this group is the one who’s coming back every week for their love of the characters. This group is the one generating the hype on social media and flooding the internet with fan edits. This group also attracts viewers.
So. Here we are. Two decisions. Both will cost fans. How many fans? Who knows. But only one will also attract them. And that’s the thing. Keeping the status quo isn’t going to generate hype around the show. Only one decision will bring new viewers in. How many people have we seen online say “I’ve never watched this show before, but now that I’ve heard about it, I’m curious.” How many of you reading this came to this show for that reason? We’ve already seen this happen with the bisexual Buck storyline. The ratings for that episode are the highest in the season. The internet is abuzz about it.
Another unique position the show finds itself in is that all the groundwork for a Buddie storyline has already been laid. They could easily avoid falling into the trap of shameless bad fan service because the ball is already tee’d up. They just need to knock it out of the park.
I firmly believe that making buddie canon, if the story is told with skill and care, is the right bet. I believe that not making buddie canon is a greater risk to the show’s revenue. From a business standpoint, buddie canon is the better choice. Whether or not the network execs choose to do so remains to be seen, but I have hope.
If you’re still here, thank you for reading. Here’s a cookie as your reward 🍪.
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froggibus · 3 months
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Hi there! If requests are still open, would it be alright if I requested HC’s for D.Va, Mei, Sombra, and Mercy with an S/O who’s a writer?
Thank you!! You rock! Keep up the amazing work!
Writer S/O Headcanons - D.Va, Mercy, Mei & Sombra
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Genre: fluff!
Pairing: D.Va x gn! reader, Mercy x gn! reader, Mei x gn! reader, Sombra x gn! reader
CW: mostly fluff, some canon/implied canon things (we love our doctor/science women), i'm horrible at writing sombra (sorry)
been a while since i did an OW request, haven't touched the game since the beginning of Dec since i don't play for a team rn & hate the direction the game is going :( but i love the characters so its a dilemma lol anyway enjoy!!!
(also!!! i am once again bothering you guys to vote in this poll if you haven't already. your input matters to me vv much & would love to hear about what you want for our valentines event this year!)
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D.Va:
literally your biggest fan
she always supports your writing no matter what & definitely shares it on her stream
will probably just game while you’re writing 
she gets loud sometimes but she tries her best to stay quiet so you can focus
does her best to read your writing but she has such a short attention span she just can’t sometimes
will write little hearts and stars on her favorite passages in your writing 
brings you lots of snacks and drinks!! makes sure you’re always hydrated and that you don’t work too long
honestly probably gets really distracting sometimes
like reading your writing over your shoulder or tapping her nails on the desk really loudly
“Hana…”
“sorry,” she’ll say sheepishly. “you just have me on the edge of my seat.”
Mercy:
your proofreader/beta reader
she LOVES to read so you know she’ll pick up anything you write and devour it
will lay on the couch with you after work while you write and listen to the taps of your laptop 
“hey, Ang, do you know the word? like the one—the word for—ugh”
“luminescent.”
you’re not sure how she does it but she always manages to read your mind & know exactly what word you’re looking for
also super helpful when you have random medical questions
she’ll break down exactly how you treat a stab wound in a dingy motel for you without batting an eyelash
queen of overworking so she won’t judge you too harshly if you work all night 
but will definitely be there to chastise you with a glass of water in one hand and some plain toast in the other 
Mei:
literally the sweetest ever
always tells you how amazing your work is & recommends it to all her friends
working in the science field she’s always reading scientific journals so your work is a breath of fresh air 
she’ll have a glass of rosé and settle down with your book after a long day
NEVER critiques your work because she thinks you’re the best ever 
probably annotates it with her thoughts while reading it and voices her excitement about it 
asks you a million questions about your work and nods along while you give long winded explanations 
cooks you yummy food & brings you 5 spice hot chocolate to keep your energy up 
snuggled up to you on the couch and listens to you think outloud 
Sombra:
absolute best research buddy
you open your mouth to ask her a writing question and she already has it pulled up in four different browsers 
thoroughly explains everything to you too
through her work she knows a lot about violence and other things
so she’s always willing to answer questions—especially spy + stealth related things 
if anyone ever tries to criticize your work online she’ll literally doxx them
probably hasn’t read much of your work but she makes it up for it in undying support 
you could be writing about murdering a public official and she’d support it 
lets you sit at her desk with her while she works and hums soft songs to you
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(if you enjoy content like this, interactions go a long way! comments, likes & rbs are always greatly appreciated ^-^ !!)
masterlist | overwatch masterlist
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nalyra-dreaming · 4 days
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Hello again! First I just want to say a big thank you to you and @virginiaisforvampires and @cbrownjc for answering my really long DM ask awhile ago! <3
I’m again going to presume that during the first four episodes Daniel will keep having flashbacks causing him to realise that there is more to the fallout of the 70’s interview than he might at first suspect. He will probably remember Armand’s ‘Gentleman Death’ speech, which might cause him to fear Armand. Resulting in the new character telling him he should fear ‘the other one’ (presumably Louis) instead.
I’m really curious about the, “You fear Armand. You should fear the other one”, does this character know of Armand’s concern and/or history with Daniel? Might one assume that the character knows about Louis attacking Daniel, and possibly is more acutely aware (than Daniel) of the destructive nature Louis actually carries fairly close to the surface (Paris fallout comes to mind). So the words could simply be a warning to Daniel, who possibly at this point is quite relaxed with Louis but nervous of Armand. If this new character is basically a ‘body-snatcher’ looking to gain access to an immortal vampiric body - are they playing the long-con by befriending Daniel to gain access? Could I be on to something here? I agree and remember that Louis and Daniel will team up during this season, so I’m assuming Louis won’t attack him again - but is there anything that Daniel should fear during this season? Is there a threat?
I saw the interview, talking about next season but I’m not as optimistic as some that the relationship/romance referred to was meant to be DM/Daniel’s and Armand’s. In context of the whole interview it sounds more like it’s talking about Louis’ and Armand’s relationship. If DM stuff is revealed or takes place in Dubai I’m pretty sure it’s a secret that they wouldn’t talk about in interviews. I mean - it’s a pretty great twist, and it makes so much sense to me that a lot of the writers apparently are stage writers. Love it! I really want to see DM take place and the memory-erased dynamic play out that the TV series has set up, but I am worried that I’m getting carried away and what we get might be much more minimal - and that fans will hype and then get disappointed.
The idea of Armand and Daniel bickering/fighting during the interviews for the season to then end up revealing to Daniel that *surprise* this guy who has been annoying you, has revealed himself to sure be romantic but also scary controlling and is someone you’ve rightly started to fear is the love of your life - is pretty darkly comic in the best of ways! I would freaking love it. What do you think? I’m pretty much all in for f*cked up relationship dynamics, since the characters are all fun and interesting. I’m very invested in Louis’ and Armand’s romance too, looking forward to it playing out and I like hearing that the show decided to be more romantic with it! Freaking love all the actors - and I’m so happy to watch a TV series which is actually creative and compelling!
Is there anything related to DM you would wish to see play out this season? Sorry for long ask again! Less questions this time at least haha (sorry!). Again, love visiting your blog and reading all the speculation! Thank you!
:) Hey!
Yes, the "you should fear the other one" IS incredible interesting.
I mean, there is this canon passivity to Louis, a passivity that is almost a chosen trait, because when he snaps... he snaps. (I still hope we will get the "passivity speech" in s2, I think it is such an important one, and Jacob would just rule).
But... trailers are meant to entice, to hint, but also to misdirect. Sam said in the q&a video that there would be other vampires in s2 as well. I... I am not 100% convinced that comment in the restaurant was wrt Louis.
That does not mean that Louis is not to be feared!! I just... this could be a red herring. Who knows, maybe it has to do with the twist.
(What if (speculating!!) Daniel then turns to whoever Justin Kirk is there and goes: "what other?" Why is that "other" vampire not named? Why does the Justin Kirk character know Armand at all? Why does he know about the vampires in that apartment??? (And yes, he could be already be so interested in it all because the idea for the body theft is forming!) Why does he know Daniel might be in danger from that other vampire? You know?^^)
So. It could be Louis' carefully hidden destructive tendencies. Maybe. (Which, btw, Armand used skillfully in Paris, I mean, he literally orchestrated it all for Louis to destroy the coven, a win-win situation for him, lol.)
But I'm not convinced that is what Daniel should fear. Would fear. If modern day Daniel fears anything, then I think that has to do with something he remembers. The cage comes to mind, for example. The hunt.
Rolin's latest comment re Dubai does come to mind... as much as I think that Louis and Armand do actively love each other (including physically and I really hope they enjoy(ed) themselves!), but... I cannot see Louis go and have "fun" in interview-time-Dubai. I mean, the interview is happening over a few days real-time. Can you see Louis, the Louis growing more and more upset, depressed and crying and wanting to remember feel like having sex? For example? I think we might see Loumand sex scenes in the past, but in Dubai??? I'm... not sure.
And so... that leaves us with Devil's Minion. I'm not sure how much of the past of it will be revealed, but... I think there's a higher chance for sexy times in Dubai for them than for Loumand. For setup reasons 🤷🏽‍♀️
I also think that the relationship dynamics will be as messed up as they can possibly make them. While I expect Loumand to be extremely tender (I believe Assad called it that), I do think that Jacob's comment that Louis's time at the "murder mansion" was "one of the happy times" for Louis and that statement of "same shit, different vampire" needs to be factored in as well. We're talking about Armand after all :) Given the show likes to put its fingers into wounds I believe that will be a creeping realization... a slow, uncomfortable feeling (in contrast to the more open problematic things Loustat displayed). There is a "controlled" aspect to Loumand, because it was orchestrated (in Paris).
Devil's Minion... DM is about obsession, and almost helpless love. There will be tenderness as well, but also very high, messy emotions. It's not planned, it's not exactly healthy either, it's not (yet) with a happy ending.
As per what I would like to see in it...
I'm not sure. I want them to go full-in, in whatever aspects they choose to give us this season. The cage I would love to see, also as an echo to Lestat being tortured, maybe.
This season is about painful, uncomfortable realizations and repercussions of previous actions.
That goes for them all - and so what I hope for is what we'll get I bet :)) (At least nothing of the trailers, interviews or BTS pix has given me reason to believe otherwise^^)
Hannah Moscovitch said this season would destroy us, and I believe her... and I want that, badly :)))
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charcubed · 6 months
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Look, I personally lose nothing if Lokius doesn’t become explicit canon. And if that were to become the case, I’d also have no regrets for saying for years that that would happen in the show by the end ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I’ve said it before, but by now it would be Disney/Marvel’s loss, NOT mine. Whoever wasted or limited the potential would be the idiot, not me.
I’m simply never gonna feel crazy for noticing what’s happening in a story or silly for daring to hope it’ll be brought to fully satisfying narrative completion. That's just a me thing. Maybe this is because at heart I’m stubborn! But I’d like to think I’m not unreasonable. I can’t control whether writing stays consistent or censorship is overcome... But I just do my best to construct solid arguments, and as long as those arguments remain solid, I stand by them :)
I know not everyone would say the same, or they consider this to be "hope" or "optimism," but I see it as logic based in noticing what the text of a show/story is doing. And personally I also consider blatantly evident subtext to be "canon enough," so if we get my personal minimum, my happiness may still outweigh any potential disappointment for me.
However. Here's what I've come here to say today, in reaction to things I've seen floating around in the fandom:
While I do understand on some level why people worry that Lokius won’t be more explicitly canonically romantic because it could be censored by Disney.... At this point, I don’t understand how people can think Loki/Sylvie will still happen.
As of right now, there’s no way to argue for that in my opinion. (I'd like to see someone try.)
The show has set up a fun but very simple situation from basically the start:
They made romantic love a point of relevance in the show’s story. More specifically, they pointed out Loki's desire for a "real" romantic love, and had him learn the lesson that he doesn't deserve to be alone. They didn't HAVE to do all of those things and tie them together. They CHOSE to make romantic love relevant – and they have actively continued to choose to do that, to the point of including a mirrored dark love triangle in s2 ep3. That narrative thread simply has to be fulfilled.
So if they deliberately established that Loki wants and needs a “real” love, and his relationship with Sylvie was referred to as "fiction" so she cannot be a real love for him.... Who does it have to be?
Obviously it has to be Mobius. And of course, the whole show points to Lokius also, for countless more reasons than just this simple breakdown. But pointing this element out is the simplest argument one can make.
So either...
1. They take Lokius to full narrative completion with explicit canon, as they should and as I expect them to,
or
2. Loki's desire for a real love is left unfulfilled, open-ended, and/or made clear through subtext that it's Mobius.
Those are the options, if you ask me!
This is aside from how Lokius’ love story is now even at the core of the show’s themes and plot, which is an insanely strong vote in favor for their future canonicity.
But for the purposes of this post, I’m talking about whether we'll get explicit romance specifically, like a love confession or a kiss – and I do actually genuinely think we'll get both of those things. I'm not trying to force you to agree with me, but just to be clear, that's where I'm at with it and have been since 2021 lol.
So in regards to worrying about Loki/Sylvie...
They were never really a romance (yes, even in season 1) and they sure as hell aren't now. I can’t imagine they'll become one even IF Lokius is left subtextual.
So what actually remains to be seen is if the writers got to go all the way with Lokius, or if that central queer love story was censored on some level in the end.
My hot take is no one should be ~worrying~ about Sylki at this stage of the game. Free yourselves, people.
If the story starts abruptly going in a Sylki direction, even with only 3 episodes left, I will certainly be the first to say so lol. But I simply sincerely, truly doubt that'll happen.
(Hot take in the footer: this is not the post to get into this at length, but in case this comes up… In this house we do not use the word "queerbaiting." It is a useless, nearly-meaningless, insufferable term that devalues the legitimacy of subtext and queercoding more often than not; it's rooted in the idea that media must hit arbitrary and inconsistent checklists often set with cishet approval in mind; and it perpetuates a focus on the false and harmful myth that many creators are "cowards" instead of leaving room for nuance and the fact that industry censorship still exists.)
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✨️Bienvenido, everyone! Thank you all for your patience with this event, we are so excited to share this with you! ✨️
To start, we are your lovely hosts for the Encanto OC Appreciation Event:
Amanda @overly-dramatic-artist & Pena @dororoxpenana!
You may recognize us in the Encanto OC community already with our OCs Angela Morales Estrada (Amanda) and María Madrigal (Pena), but you’ll find out more about them during the event! 💖
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
♡ The main goal and drive of this event is to spread some much needed love and appreciation to our fellow OC creators! You are all such a gift to this fandom, and it’s more than time to recognize each other! While we will be reblogging everyone’s creations on to this blog, this event will only work as intended if you all interact with each other! We can speak for almost everyone when we say that it is entirely welcome for you to go feral in the tags and comments. Share your enthusiasm. Go wild. If someone says something kind to you, you are legally required to pass that on ten-fold (Just kidding, but please please interact with each other!). ♡
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
✨️The Prompts!✨️
👋🏼 Week One (October 1-7) : Introduction. Time to share the lore of your OC! For this week, we are looking for your OC’s backstory, what connects them to canon, and who they are as a person! This can include detailed character sheets, a written backstory, drawings of them through stages of life, how you developed this character, even a ‘slide show’ of their background; literally anything pertaining to who they are.
❤️ Week Two (October 8-14) : Relationships. Let’s take a deep dive into the interpersonal relationships of your OC! Family, friends, lovers…enemies? For this week, share any works that give us a look into who your OC is connected to; it can be a family tree, drawings of them with friends, their wedding; as long as there is some form of connection, you’re golden!
🌟 Week Three (October 15-21) : Extras and Add-Ons. Have an AU? Or two? Or ten? All you full of bits of information and side stories? Share it all! This week is for you to share anything and everything you want. Any sort of obscure alternate timeline, a detailed overview of their sense of fashion, pieces of trivia like their favorite food or weather, what their handwriting looks like, comics you’ve been wanting to share. Anything and everything is game!
🫂 Week Four and a Half (October 22-31) : Share the Love. Spread around the appreciation for your fellow artists and writers! Send head-canons or thoughts about someone else’s OC, or maybe some artwork or a one-shot! Or even express your delight for another person’s creativity. We highly encourage you to engage with people you may not be super familiar with.
You are more than welcome to use older material for this event, especially for the first three weeks, but we just ask that you make a new post with this blog tagged so we know to reblog it! New creations are greatly encouraged, but we understand that making art and writing is time consuming 💖 You can also make multiple posts for each week if you have a lot to share, don’t feel pressured to cram everything into one post!
‼️Rules regarding the event:‼️
🔴Please refrain from comparing OCs against each other or to canon characters in a negative manner. This event is meant to appreciate everyone’s efforts, we’ve all dealt with enough negativity already. Be kind.
🔴We want to keep this event friendly for all ages in the fandom, so we will not be reblogging any blatant NSFW content on to the blog. You are welcome to share things of adult-theme, but just know we won’t be sharing it from our platform (we’ll drop a like though).
🔴Any content of incestuous nature will not be allowed whatsoever. This is a one strike policy. Don’t do it.
🔴No tracing or stealing works from other artists/writers. If you have commissions or artwork made by other people for you, that is more than welcome, but do not steal someone else’s work.
🔴No content made using AI
🔴Keep in mind this is not a contest or a competition; please be kind to other artists and writers. We are all on equal ground here.
✨️Please tag our event blog (this one!) as well as using the hashtag ‘encanto oc appreciation’ & 'encanto oc event' as we want everyone’s work to be shared on our blog like an archive of love!✨️
💖If you have any questions, please feel more than welcome to reach out! We want this event to be as fun as possible! 💖
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fortheloveofexy · 1 year
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Top 5 vs Personal 5
List your top 5 fics ranked by kudos on AO3. are you surprised by what's most popular to your readers? then provide your ranking of your personal top 5 fics, and tag a few fellow writers!
Thanks for the tag @mostlymaudlin ! tagging @jingerhead @paradoxolotl @exy-shmexy @storiesnstardust
Top 5 (by Kudos):
1. Call Me By Your Name (3.9k, andreil)  
Basically, Neil calls Andrew “baby” in his sleep once, so Andrew  gets flustered and then secretly tries out different pet names for Neil.
This one... honestly really surprised me with how popular it got. It’s my most kudos’d fic by a long shot (2,378 kudos??? insanity). It’s a short little thing, entirely focused around andreil and pet names. To be honest, I have mixed feelings about this one being the top fic, because it’s one of my oldest fics and I don’t really love the prose now. I don’t really understand why it got so popular out of everything I wrote bc it’s never anyone’s favorite fic when I ask, but I’m glad so many enjoyed it!
2. Sweet Enough To Eat (3.1k, andreil) 
Andrew experiencing cute aggression. That’s basically the whole premise lol.
 Anyway, this one is my oldest fic, so I assume that’s why it’s so popular. It’s cute, sweet even! I still like it to this day. Not much else to say about it though.
3. May We Meet Again (10.7k, andreil)
The first installment of the Artist Neil AU. 
To be honest, I don’t like it anymore. That whole AU has problems with pacing, and some characterization issues too. Plus, looking back at the art now makes me cringe so hard. The only reason it’s still up is bc I know a lot of people really like it. Sometimes I think about revising the whole thing but I still remember how big of an undertaking it was when I first wrote it and made all the art for it, so I probably won’t. 
4. The Marks We Make (41.3k, andreil)
A (mostly) canon rewrite from Andrew’s POV with a soulmate AU twist. 
This the first multichapter fic I ever wrote, and one of the earliest fics I ever published, so I’m not surprised it’s high on the list. There are some things I like about this one, and some I would do differently. Writing this fic helped me make some of my first friends in the fandom though, so it was very much worth it.
5. Yes Or No? (35.5k, andreil)
sub andrew & Dom Neil pwp - need I say more?. 
This one truly surprised me. It was meant to be a one-shot experiment, something I wrote as an exploration of my own boundaries and limits. BDSM fics are often triggering for me, so I generally avoid them, but I wanted to write a BDSM fic that I would be able to enjoy and to explore BDSM from a safe distance.
However, given how much the fandom seemed to be against Andrew submitting (and sometimes even just bottoming) at the time, I worried I might end up getting hate for writing it. To my surprise, I did not, and so many commenters asked that I continue it that I ended up turning it into a whole series. 
I’m quite proud of it still - it might just be a smut fic to most people, but it will always be more than just a smut fic to me. 
I do hate the last 3 paragraphs of the main fic though. I was on a kick where I thought incorporating references to fic titles and canon lines into my writing was clever and fun, but now I just cringe when I look at it. Ahh well, maybe someday I’ll change it and tell nobody. Create a little Berenstein/Berenstain Bears moment :)
Top 5 (Personal Ranking):
1.  More Than Words (32.9k, ongoing, neon friendship)
Neil and Aaron meet as kids and become best friends, long before Aaron learns his mother’s secret - he has a long lost twin brother.
I cannot gush enough about the love I have for this fic, this whole story. I can’t talk about it here because I have some insane twists planned (iykyk) but just know this fic is my baby and this story will be my magnum opus once it’s done. I love writing Neil and Aaron’s friendship, I love writing Aaron’s POV, I love the plans I have these boys. It’s still ongoing so I understand why it’s not higher up in the kudos ranking, but I’m hopeful that will change once I actually finish it.
2. A Quiet Self-Destruction (2.6k, andreil)
A character study on Andrew’s experience with depression, and how Neil helps him through his bad days.
I wrote this to comfort myself during one of my own depression spells. It still brings me a bit of hope on dark days. For that, I will always love it.
3. Scribbles and Sticky Notes (11.7k, andreil)
Neil retires from Exy, with heaps of fluff, soft Andreil, wholesome Twinyards, hurt/comfort, MCD and angst.
Hands down, this is the saddest fic I’ve ever written, and I’m quite proud of that fact. I think the pacing is really good, and the gut punches are quite successful (while being foreshadowed quite nicely). The characterization is also spot on, I think. It’s got MCD though, which I think is probably why it’s not more popular. 
4. The Past, Stained Red (4.4k, andreil)
Part 3 of the Artist Neil AU. Andrew has a surprise run-in with a ghost from his past, and finally gets some closure.
This is the only fic of the Artist Neil AU that I actually still like. It’s well-paced, well-characterized, and I still like the art. Mostly, though, I viciously loved writing Andrew getting to close the door on Cass, and I loved writing him acknowledging the harm she did to him as a foster parent. He couldn’t see it as a child, but as an adult? He sees her clearly, in all her failure. It was extremely cathartic to write that. 
5. Catdrew Meowyard (1.4k, andreil)
Andrew suddenly has cat ears and a tail. Nobody questions it. Shenanigans ensue.
This is such a silly little fic. I wrote it as a joke and I still love it dearly, even though it’s very dumb. It’s just very fun to write and to read, and it’s perfect for when I want to blow off steam and write some crack.
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baddygab-bi · 17 days
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My theory is that Eddie is going to be written as an ever straighter man in 7x05. Based on the leaks (however true they are), it seems like I’m going to be right, but I was thinking all of this before the leaks came out. I won’t say what they are, only the things I’ve been thinking for weeks or things that can be easily assumed based on writing and plot. (Also please don’t send me more spoilers, I want to have some surprise)
In s7 so far, Eddie has been seen as a guy who married a woman. I thought the line “you mean slept with,” was weirdly included to show that Eddie likes to sleep with women. Also he enjoys cars, martial arts, going to the bar, and basketball. Can queer men like these things? Of course, Tommy does, Buck does (mostly), but the point is that they’re seen as stereotypically straight-man stuff, which is why it’s more shocking that Tommy and Buck are queer. They’re giving Eddie more traits to make him ever more masculine. They mention his girlfriend a lot and show them standing pressed-up against each other.
We all know that Buck is going to come out to Eddie in his loft. I can 100% see them having Eddie being the very supportive straight best friend to Buck, because I think the show wants that dynamic of “queer man and best friend face no awkwardness, just support and love.” To show the audience that two men, even one who’s bi can still have a close best friendship with another man without it going romantic.
Oliver and Tim both said things along the lines of the crush not being on Eddie, no plans for buddie right now. Ryan said (around the time of shooting this episode) they’re going to be closer than ever, which I assumed weeks ago was that Eddie is going to call Buck brother in that loft scene. Closer than ever? They haven’t recently defined their relationship at all, so being referred to as brothers would definitely fit that mark. This also would create deniability for the writers not making buddie canon, because “they’re brothers.” Oliver also said “if one character realizing his bisexuality” and I know he was talking specifically about people’s reactions to Buck, but the singularity of it made me instantly think that he’s the only one exploring his sexuality this season.
Next, we know Eddie and Marisol have a sexy time moment in this next episode because the actress posted a picture. Easiest way for the audience to see Eddie as a straight man? Have sex with a woman. “But Buck had lots of sex with women and he’s bi!” True. But you have to think of it as a general audience, mainly straight, viewer. Woman = not gay. Especially with what (according to leaks) seems like the plot will be more about Eddie wanting sex than the other way around. We know he and Shannon had a good sex-life and that it’s implied that he and Ana hooked up at least once if not more. He’s no Buck 1.0, but when it comes to Eddie’s sex-life, the writers aren’t shying away from him being seen as a manly man.
In the promo we see him and Marisol at the restaurant and the one thing I noticed first was the fact that Edy’s shirt is low cut and her push-up bra is truly doing the most. Like half of her boobs are just totally out. Wardrobe dressed her to look all sexy (they very likely provided the bra too), to show that Eddie is a typical dude-bro with a hot female girlfriend. In an episode that Ryan mentioned included something about intimacy, and from what I know of the leaks, it’s really digging into the fact that men have sex with women and it’s all the show that Eddie is here for that.
If buddie ever goes canon, the earliest I can imagine things even starting on Eddie’s side would be season 8. I think Marisol is here to stay until further notice, which makes me sick, but I’m theorizing that the “looks at their relationship closer” thing will be him asking her to move in, because that’s the only thing it can be. From what we’ve seen and heard, their relationship is going good, and even though these writers have lost the plot (literally and metaphorically), because it’s been less than 5 months of dating and they’re still getting to know each other, they think that seems like the next step in their relationship. It once again will highlight the way they want Eddie to be seen as a macho guy. I know so many people are thinking that the writers are just putting Eddie through this relationship to show that he’s a repressed queer man, but i don’t agree. I mean, yeah he could been repressed, but I don’t think that’s why the writers are doing what they’re doing. I think we’re trying to find something that they’re not giving us, because what they’re giving us just feels so wrong with everything else we know about Eddie so far and where his story was leading to in s6.
Plot wise, buddie still made the most sense. Past tense. The end of season 6 really fucked with things to the point where had they gotten rid of both girlfriends, it would’ve been fine, but it still feels like Buck and Eddie are too separate right now for it to go romantic as it is right now. But as for partners, yeah, Buck and Eddie will always make the most sense for each other in theory. In practice though, the show does have to worry about ratings and hopefully the reactions to Buck show them that they don’t have to worry about it negatively affecting the show, but I just really don’t think that they’ll have Eddie be anything other than straight because they’ll lose fans that way. Granted it’s homophobic fans, and they’ll gain more queer fans, but when you think about the business side, the numbers would jump too much. I love how much we all love watching 911, but people watching through pirated links, illegal streaming sites, tumblr gifs, TikTok’s, and uploaded google files, while they are obvi massive fans, aren’t considered in the viewership counts. The show may gain a huge influx of viewers if Buddie happens, but the numbers they’re looking at aren’t tumblr users, they’re people watching on Hulu and live TV. Which tends to be people in older demographics, people they risk losing if they have the other “hot straight firefighter” “go gay.”
This isn’t to be negative. I love buddie. I love BuckTommy right now too. I’ll be so sad when Tommy leaves. I’m just trying to be realistic because I can see so many people getting their hopes up, and not just in a fun shipping way, but in a real way where they’re confident buddie is going to happen this season. I’m so scared for the show and everyone’s heartbreak when it doesn’t happen.
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toracainz · 3 months
Text
Tell Me Where to Put My Love pt4
You and Steven haven’t been together very long, but that won’t stop either of you from fighting tooth and nail for a chance at a future together.
Series Masterlist
Part 3 -  Different Kind of Danger in the Daylight
Part 4 -  Unavailability Is The Only Thing That Turns You On
Part 5
Warnings: Inaccurate depictions of DID (only knowledge from the show and some light research). Swearing. Established relationships. Married relationship. Use of term “priest” in a gender neutral sense. Discussion about cheating. Discussion about homewreckers. Canon typical violence in later chapters. Mentions of food. Angst. Fluff.
Word Count: 4k
A/N: I am so sorry it's taken me this long to post the next part, been stewing over this part for so long. 😭 Personal stuff happened and then writer's block and ugh. Anyways, I hope you like it. 🥺
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There you were, outside his flat, standing by the road looking up at his floor. You had to go in sooner or later, but the pit in your stomach made it hard to move any further. You were honestly lucky you made it as far as you did thanks to some encouragement from Tutu. It was strange that he seemed to care so much, maybe he really did. You were sure that by now Layla was in town and inside the flat. The bustling sounds of average Londoners going about their day helped keep you calm (well, calmer), oddly enough.
“He’s not going to come to you, child.” Tutu stood atop the nearby building. “Though knowing him, he might actually.” The god chuckled. “Go. All will be well. You are strong.”
Glancing up at his masked face you can almost feel the reassuring smile hidden behind it. With a nod, you take a moment to collect yourself before starting inside the building. What would you say first? What do you say first? Obviously introduce yourself, or maybe Steven would introduce you. Wait, who’s going to be fronting during this? Are they going to be, what did Steven call it? Co-conscious? How easy was it for them to switch? Steven had mentioned he and Marc could do it pretty effortlessly now that they were closer. You still hadn’t actually seen them switch yet. Since he had come back it had always just been him with maybe a stray comment here or there in Steven’s head from Marc.
The lift seemed to be moving so slowly, compared to the speed of your thoughts racing through your mind. Oh God, would Layla even want you to step foot in the flat? What would Steven do if she refused to talk to you? Surely, she would at least talk…right?
Oh. When did you get in front of his door? Muscle memory must have carried you here. Well, you’re here. You take another deep breath sensing Tutu’s reassuring presence as you lift your hand to knock. That’s when you hear it. Layla is talking, but you’re not sure to who, was it Marc or Steven? You imagine probably Marc, that’s who she’s here to see…unless... You try not to dwell on it and find yourself knocking on the door. Things fall silent in the flat other than a low voice, maybe Marc, and the sound of approaching steps. To say you were relieved when Steven swung open the door with a smile was an understatement.
“Hello, love. Come in, come in. Make yourself comfortable of course. Uh…but first I think it’s best to get the introductions out the way, yeah?” He ushers you in, his hand finding a gentle place on your back out of habit as he introduces you to Layla. She gives you a curt smile, brows lifting slightly as she reaches out offering a handshake. You take it with a nod.
“Steven has said a lot of nice things about you.” She rests her hands in her pockets glancing between you and Steven. “So, I guess now that everyone’s here…we should eat.” She says, trying to change the subject. The air was so thick with tension you weren’t sure you could move from where you stood.
“Oh right, yeah.” Steven says to Layla as she starts into the kitchen to get out plates and cups. He turns to you with obvious concern on his face. “I truly am glad you came. I made your favorite and look…nothing has to happen tonight. I certainly don’t expect things are alright between us, but I’m just happy you’re here. Um, Marc and I, we’ll be switching a bit so just warning you. It’s not scary or anything, I just…well Layla’s seen it so she’s used to it. I just didn’t want you to be surprised.”
Oh, God did you love him. He was so concerned about you being comfortable despite the very uncomfortable situation you all found yourselves in. He had made your favorite dish and was trying to make sure you knew that there were no expectations and that you wouldn’t be surprised by his and Marc’s behavior. You nod letting a small smile appear. “Yeah, alright, Steven. Thank you.”
He smiles back with a nod. He would have usually kissed your head, but he resigned himself to just placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. It didn’t feel right, even with the context of everything happening. The very demure gesture when both of you were very much comfortable with hugs and kisses just felt foreign.
“Uh, Steven? The food?” Layla approaches the cleaned off dinette table and starts setting it as Steven hurries into the kitchen to bring the dishes over.
“Is there anything I can do?” You offer, trying to rescue yourself from the role of knot-on-a-log.
“Yeah, love. Could you get that dish there on the counter please? We’re doing a sort of pot luck style, just get what you like sort of thing.” He set the dish down before going to get the drinks. “Hope everyone enjoys. Marc tried to make one of Layla’s favorites and one of his. I, of course, made a favorite of mine and of yours. We can all dig in! Try out each other’s favorites!” Suddenly, Steven’s face scrunched up like he smelled something bad, but it wasn’t Steven that spoke. The seamless way they switched was something entirely unexpected.
“Hell no, Steven, you can have your vegan food. I’m gonna stick with my corned beef kugel. I won’t make you eat it, so don’t make me eat yours.” He shook his head with a huff as you all gathered around the table and took your seats. Just as seamlessly as Marc appeared Steven was back.
“Oi, rude. I didn’t say you had to, Marc. Just that everyone could if they wanted. He didn’t sleep well, stressed about cooking everything. Told him not to worry, that I could help. He’s a bit crank-“
“I am not cranky, Steven.” Marc returned to the front annoyed as he started to plate his food. You and Layla just watched as the two bickered about the food. Layla watched curiously while plating her own food. She had seen them do this while fighting in Cairo, so fighting amongst themselves in their flat wasn’t too different. You on the other hand tried not to stare. Not because you were weirded out or thought they were crazy. It was just incredible to experience, after all you had never known anyone to do this before.
You remembered how Steven was before he disappeared. Sullen, but still hopeful about life. A dark cloud always not far behind. Steven had been so beat down that he had nearly accepted his lot in life, lonely gift shoppist destined to never be a tour guide or have a partner of any kind, no friends, just unreturned voicemails to his mother and the living statue man. Steven seemed so free now. Free of his past burden, the secret life Marc was keeping from him, he was lighter and smiling much more, much much more. You loved it. Seeing him so happy and full of life. Even bickering with Marc seemed to elicit some degree of joy, poking fun at each other.
Layla had been there for them during such a chaotic time. She was strong after all. Stronger than you. The voice from your dream comes careening back through your mind, “What can you do that she can’t do better?” You close your eyes as you pick at your food, nibbling on the different dishes, trying to block out such thoughts. But what if there was truth to it? What if she really could do better for them than you could? You didn’t realize you had gone still until you felt a hand rest on yours. Following the hand up to its source you’re met with Steven’s concern filled eyes.
“You alright, love?”
You take in a shuddering breath. Were you starting to panic? Oh no, no not now. Not in front of her. “I uh, I’m sorry I just…I’m sorry. I just have to go to the loo.” You get up and try not to seem desperate to escape the room as you enter the bathroom sliding the door shut. Not much privacy, but it’s better than sitting in front of her. Comparing yourself to her. Being judged by her. Leaning against the sink your chest begins to rise and fall with hastened breaths. You try to force them to slow and deepen but they only come out shaky.
She was definitely better for them, both of them, than you were for Steven alone. She was strong and he deserved that. He didn’t need to be coddled or looked after like  before with you. Layla could keep up with him and Marc. But you? Where could you fit in all of this? You can't find a place to fit. This is a different puzzle, one you’re certain your piece didn’t belong to. You look up into the mirror, seeing Tutu’s visage behind you. A gentle hand rests on your shoulder. Again, the mask hiding what could only be a look of sympathy…and perhaps pity.
“This isn’t going to work, Steven. This…whole thing is just…it’s too awkward. I don’t see this lasting long.” Layla says to Steven in a hushed tone, not enough for you not to catch some of it. Somehow your breathing quiets enough for you to listen, Tutu unsurprisingly gone now.
“They’re just nervous. This will work. It’s going to work, Layla.” Steven doesn't look at her as he shakes his head. “It has to work.”
“What? So…are the four of us going to live in the same house, hmm? Go on some weird double date, cause this dinner was going so well.” Her voice dripping with sarcasm as she moves to try and make Steven look at her, leaning forward slightly. “Marc and I haven’t even really started working through our own shit and now this?”
Steven stands up harshly, you imagine from the sound of a chair sliding back suddenly. He squeezes his eyes shut, staving off Marc’s attempts to front. “No, mate, you can talk to your wife after I make sure they’re okay.” This time he does look at Layla, his gaze firm, before starting towards the loo, his steps becoming softer and more careful the closer he gets.
“Love? You alright? You sick? If you need anything I’ll g-“
You open the door miraculously fighting off your tears. Looking up at him you reach out and his hand instinctively finds yours, his other one hesitantly reaches up to your cheek. Before it can make contact you move past him towards the front of the flat starting to grab your bag. You turn and look Layla in the eye, her slightly surprised gaze meets yours. No doubt surprised someone like you had the nerve to even look her way again (or so your brain was telling you).
“I’m sorry.” You find the words spilling out before you mean for them to, if those were even the words you wanted to say. Steven had followed you from the loo watching you wondering what you’d say next. “I’m sorry for…whatever it is you think I’ve done. I truly had no idea about you and Marc. How could I? I know I’m something akin to a homewrecker and I never meant to be. I just…I love Steven. I do, but you are clearly more capable and better suited for both him and Marc. I’m not you, by any-“
“Love, what are you saying?”
“They’re leaving, Steven.” Layla says. You just nod, unable to fight the tears any longer.
“I truly do love Steven, but from what he’s told me about you…you can take better care of both of them. I would just get in the way.” You sniffle, wiping your tears as you turn to start out the door. As your hand grabs the door knob a strong calloused hand grabs your arm. The fiery determination in the warm brown eyes that look at you catch you off guard.
“Now wait, just hold on, just a minute…time out. Now let’s all just chill the eff out, yeah?” He looks from you to Layla. “Yeah, alright, this isn’t ideal. But I love them and they love me, you heard them.” His grip on your arm isn’t painful despite how firm he holds on. Looking at you, his expression begs you to stay, but his eyes burn with a fire you’ve never seen before. “This can work if we are all willing to try. I won’t just give up…not getting rid of me that easily, love.” His focus is drawn away from you and to the mirror next to the door. He must be listening to Marc.
With the room growing quiet, expectant of what would be said next and by who, Layla decides to fill the silence.
“If they want to go, Steven, you can’t make them stay.” She stands up from the table.
Steven, shaking his head as he tries to listen to Marc and Layla, something that never went well in the past, steps away from you.
“What about what I want? I want to be with them. I never wanted to be Khonshu’s avatar, never wanted to have a “sleeping disorder”, and…no! I’m not giving you the body, you can talk with Layla when I’m through!” In the middle of Steven’s rant his head snaps to the fish tank, hands flying to his head, fighting against the pull from Marc trying to take control. Things are escalating and neither Marc nor Steven want the people they love to leave, and Marc knows Layla might.
“I believe I may be of assistance.”
His voice carried over the flat like a blanket, though a little louder than Steven or Layla would have liked.  Both of them flinched, yelping, Steven jumping closer to you almost protectively (though screaming a little louder than he intended), and turning to see Tutu standing there in the middle of the flat. Layla suddenly was no longer in her normal clothes but instead in the gorgeous suit Taweret had gifted to her, holding her two swords out, almost like a reflex.
“Ha! I knew it!” Marc says, pushing to the front. Pointing at Layla, a satisfied grin on his face, confirming that she was still an avatar distracting him enough from the fact that there was a god standing in the flat. Layla looked as embarrassed as she would let herself appear to be as the suit dematerialized leaving her in her casual clothes yet again.
“What? Alright, yes I’m still Taweret’s avatar and because of this suit I’ve helped a lot of people.” She stood firm, justifying her connection with the goddess, her contrapposto posture contradicting her conviction as she defended herself.
“No, that’s great. I mean, Taweret was actually really nice so I don’t imagine she’s like Khonshu…manipulating and threatening,” Marc couldn’t help but smile at her. You recognize that smile. Love. A smile Steven would give you, and you fear that he has given that smile to Layla as well. Suddenly, Marc shifts and his posture changes.
“How?” Steven asks, turning the attention back to Tutu. Talking with gods had become fairly normal for Steven during his recent adventure. “You're the god of tombs and the protector of dreamers. Sorry, but…I’m not sure I understand how you could help.”
“You are correct, but it is my skill set that is more than capable of assisting.” His golden head nods towards Steven, as if to say “I’m at your service”. “I believe my avatar already knows what I intend to offer.”
With that, all eyes fall on you, your back against the door, eyes wide but drying up now that Tutu has appeared. His presence always a comfort to you. “Yeah…I know.”
“Well, what is it, love?” Steven’s brows gather in a myriad of emotions: confusion, curiosity, concentration.
“He intends to put us all into a dream. Any one of us could be the dreamer, but he would give us all the energy to lucid dream…in a space where we all could have a voice.” As if reading the god’s mind, you explain Tutu’s plan. You’d never done this before, created a dream space where you and another could interact. All of Tutu’s missions involved lucid dreaming, entering someone’s dreams and being fully in control of yourself. For the average person lucid dreaming is something you train yourself to do through repetition and practice.
“Yes, within the dream perhaps communication could be more effectively practiced.”
It was worth a shot, if all parties agreed, but something told you that Layla didn’t want to try it, didn’t want this to work. You couldn’t blame her. She was “here first”, and was actually married to Marc. If it were the other way around, maybe you might feel the same? Honestly it’s hard to truly know how you’d react in a situation until you’re actually in it. It’s easy to say “I’d do this” or “I’d never do that”, but when it really comes down to it you never really know.
Steven’s eyes and mouth open wide, mind racing to conclude how this could work, what it would feel like, if this would even be something he (or Marc) would feel comfortable doing. Communication is a little difficult, sure, tensions and stakes are high–not ‘ancient Egyptian god trying to take over the world and eat people’s souls’ high…but still high.
“I…I think…I think Marc and I need to talk…alone. The last time we were…not together…it wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, yeah? Don’t think that this would be the same, no, it’s just…I think we should talk about it first.” Steven can’t help how his hands find each other to fidget like he had done so many times before, taking a deep breath he wills them apart. Things are different now, he’s not quite as timid or unsure of himself as he was before Marc, before Cairo. Things are different. He has Marc now and this is the life they wanted to share with each other, but the thought of someone catching a glimpse of one of their dreams, their nightmares…it was scary.
“Of course, Steven…Marc. Both of you. Not sure I like the idea much either but…stranger things have happened, yeah?” Layla’s voice has turned soft and tender. She can only imagine what could be going through Steven’s and Marc’s head. You felt the same. The two of them had been through so much in such a short time. Being vulnerable and open is still so new to them. If they were uncomfortable with entering a dream world, then maybe you all could find another way. You nod with a short agreement to Layla’s words.
The air in the flat was thinning in a good way, from the thick tense air that had begun to settle. You think that maybe it was Tutu’s presence that was facilitating this calm and maybe you'd be right. He’d never admit to such, but it’s welcomed all the same.
Steven looked at you and Layla, his lips curled at the corners into a gentle smile. “Thank you, both of you. I promise, we’ll try and have an answer for you both soon…uh well for all of you.” He turns to Tutu, his smile turning sheepish.
“Take your time. I’ve waited this long, right? I don’t mind waiting…I’ll always wait for you, Steven.” You could feel your body wanting to take his hand, but could you? Would that be weird in front of Layla? This whole night had been weird so what’s one more thing? Before you can worry about that, as if he feels the pull too, Steven takes your hand. When your eyes meet it’s like the warmth from his hand spreads through you, even to your cheeks where a smile has found its way across your lips. This could work. It had to. You didn't really want to walk away. Sure, you still worry about being compared to Layla, but that will just be something to work through…with Steven.
~*~*~*~
After saying your goodbyes, each of you to your respective man, you and Layla share a very awkward elevator ride. If you thought the ride up was slow, this one is moving at a glacial pace, as if the weight of the tension was straining the mechanics. Thanks to the mirror covered walls you steal glances of Layla, seeing how beautiful she is this close, feeling how confidence just falls off of her. You could see why Marc and even Steven could fall for her. Taking a deep breath, you try and keep those dark thoughts from growing again, the last thing you need is to have yet another panic attack in front of her.
“It’s nothing personal, you know,” Layla says, breaking the silence, not turning to look at you but opting to look at you in the reflection facing you both. Your eyes widening a fraction prompt her to continue. “I get it. Finding out there’s ‘someone else’ is…it’s not fun. I mean, every time I think I know him, Marc I mean, it seems something else comes up and it’s like I haven’t known him at all.” She took a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. You really could sympathize. You could only imagine what it must have felt like for her, to think that her husband was cheating on her. You and Steven weren’t married, but it still hurt a lot.
You take a moment to mull over her words. What do you even say? “Yeah, it was a not-so-pleasant surprise…guess we’ll just have to wait and see what’ll happen next.” What more was there to say right now? It was clear by how she was talking to Steven that she didn’t think this would work or maybe she didn’t want it to work. There was something that neither of you realized you had in common…persistance. Neither of you were going to give up the man you loved so easily, even in the face of uncharted territory.
Layla’s gaze went from the light indicating what floor you were passing back to you. It was…intense wasn’t the right word. Strong definitely, but there was something else there. You didn’t know how to react, if you should, but you could feel it. Like she was assessing a threat in battle. Your posture straightened, your expression steeling…you couldn’t let her get to you, whether she was meaning to get to you or not. If this was going to work, you couldn’t continue feeling so very small around her. You’re an avatar just like her, you can do this.
“Guess we will.” She said just after the elevator door dinged and opened to the ground floor hall. Her words felt like a challenge. It almost felt like she was expecting you to throw in the towel right then and there. Putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket, Layla started for the front door without looking back…she didn’t need to. You took a step out of the elevator and watched as she left, looking dazed? Stunned? You weren’t sure what you were feeling, anxious certainly, but there was so much going through your head you weren’t sure what to call it.
Once you were outside the building and headed for the sidewalk, you took a moment to look back at the building, up to the floor where Steven’s flat resides like you had only a hour or so ago. Your hands gathering together to fidget with the other, you could almost still feel Steven’s touch. With a sigh you turn and begin the trek back to your own flat.
Tutu loomed, ever watchful of his avatar, his golden deathmask for a head concealing any expression that might give away how he felt or what he was thinking. However, the god couldn’t hide how his body tensed, the way his hands clenched into fists. Ever so slightly, his head turned to glance behind him in the direction of Steven’s building, though there was nothing to be seen, there was no mistaking what he heard, what he sensed. Not wanting to be too far from his avatar (or at least that’s what he told himsel), Tutu disappears.
The sound of fabric fluttering in the wind was all that could be heard in the light of the crescent moon.
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cowgurrrl · 1 year
Text
Everything Leads to You
Pairing: Joel Miller x fem!reader (plus platonic fem!reader x Ellie Williams)
Summary: Who says grief and braiding hair can’t go together? [2.1k]
Author’s note: I’m not a fic writer but this was really fun to write and I thought other people might like to read it!
Warnings: grumpy Joel (what’s new), mentions of Tess, brief canonical type violence, ellie not knowing about restaurants, grief, lmk if I missed anything!!
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“How do you do that?” Ellie asks as she sits across from you, still wrapped in her sleeping bag. You furrow your brows as you pull the hair tight to make sure that it won’t fall. 
“Nobody ever taught you how to braid hair?”
“I must’ve missed that lesson in FEDRA school. Maybe it was between learning to fucking kill Fireflies and running drills.” She snarks, and you roll your eyes. There’s no heat behind it, and she seems to know. 
Ellie has stuck close to your side since you left Boston, asking questions as you trekked to Bill and Frank’s. Joel is on edge. He hasn’t said much to you since you lost Tess, but you hear him mumbling and turning restlessly in his sleep. His shoulders are always square and tense, and he jumps at the slightest noise. You wish he would just fucking say something so you could talk about what happened. You may not have known her for as long as he did, but you still loved her. You lost her, too. 
“I can teach you if you want. It’s not hard.” You offer, and her eyes light up. 
“Really?” She asks. You nod and shake the braid out to start over. The fallen tree you're sitting on wiggles at the motion but doesn’t move more than that.
“C’mere,” You say. Ellie shuffles over as Joel turns from where he’s packing his things to give you a look. “What? I’m teaching her how to braid hair, not make a fucking shiv.”
“That’d probably be more worthwhile.” He grumbles. 
“It’ll take five minutes,” You say. He sighs and stands, wiping his hands on his jeans. 
“I’m going for a walk.”
“Aye, aye, Captain No Fun.” Ellie salutes. You can feel Joel’s eye roll before actually seeing it, and you can’t hide the smirk as he walks away, mumbling something under his breath. Ellie turns her full attention to you as you show her how to divide and pull the hair to make a tight braid. 
“You don’t want any hair to fall out because an Infected could grab it and use it as leverage,” you tell her as you redo your hair. She nods and watches your movements closely, trying to memorize the sequence. When you're done and your hair is tied off, you let her show you what she learned and watch as she tries (and fails) to braid her hair. She got so frustrated that you thought she was going to tear the hair out of her head. 
“You said this wasn’t gonna be hard!”
“It takes practice. C’mere, I’ll do it for you.” You say as you open your legs for her to sit between. Ellie settles in front of you, her knees pulled to her chest, as you brush your fingers through her waves. You secretly wish you had a real hairbrush, but do your best to be gentle as you tease days-old tangles out. 
“Has he always been so grumpy?” She asks.
“Probably not, but I can’t be sure. He won’t say it, but he’s going through a lot. We both are. It’s not an excuse, but it is a reason.” You say, pulling a burr from her thick hair. How did she not feel that?
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Go for it.”
“Were Joel and Tess, like, a thing?” She asks, and you sigh. You’re asking the question of the century, kid, you think to yourself. 
“I know they were like family to each other, but I don’t know anything beyond that. They were already partners when I came to Boston and weren’t too keen on labels.”
“You didn’t know them from before?”
“Nope. Tess was in Detroit, Joel was in Texas, and I was in my hometown. Somehow, we all ended up in the same place and started working together.” 
“Why did you come to Boston?” She asks. You take a deep breath as memories shutter through your brain like frames from a movie—the fear and confusion of Outbreak Day. Running north like your lives depended on it because they did. The nights spent smuggling and raiding any medicine cabinet you could find looking for a miracle. That last day full of smoke and blood and screams. You shake your head to relieve the sudden pressure building behind your eyes. Thank God she’s not facing you. 
“That… is a long, long story for another time.” Seems to be enough of an answer for now. She doesn’t push the subject further as you section her tangle-free hair into threes. 
“What did you do before the Outbreak? Like for work.”
“Guess.” 
“Probably something super badass like a fighter pilot or a sharpshooter.” She says, and you laugh— really laugh— for the first time since Tess died. Believing in any sort of afterlife is a slippery slope when death is always at your door, but you hope she can hear your laughter from wherever she is. You hope she knows you're doing your best to keep your promise. You hope she knows how much you miss her. 
“Close. I was a waiter.”
“What’s a waiter?” She asks. It’s weird to think she’s probably never been in a restaurant before, let alone know how they work.
“Waiters were people who worked in restaurants which were like big rooms where people would all eat together, and we had to give people their food and drinks and whatever else they wanted. If you did a good job, customers would leave money, and that’s how you got paid.” You explain, and she turns to look at you, her eyebrows knitted together. 
“The people who owned the restaurant didn’t pay you?”
“Well, they did, but not very much. I think I was getting paid two dollars an hour at my last job.” 
“Two dollars? That’s fucking ridiculous!” She practically yells, and you nod, a smile pulling at your lips. You want to tell her everything about before just to see her reaction. 
“It was fucking ridiculous. Now, turn back around so I can finish your hair.” You push her with your shins, and she turns around, still mumbling about two dollars. She gets quiet as you keep braiding. 
It’s weirdly relaxing, only to have to worry about her hair. Wind rustles the leaves around us as birds chirp above you. The air is cool, and the morning sun shines against her dark hair. It’s almost peaceful. You tie off her hair and smile when she takes the braid between her fingers and traces the crosses. She smiles back as she turns to face you, turning pensive at an alarmingly fast rate. 
“Do you think Joel blames me for Tess?” She asks, her eyes dropping to her hands before she can even finish her thought. As if she’s waiting for you to give her the answer she’s been afraid of since you left Boston. She looks so small and fragile. Like the wind could blow too hard, and it would knock her over.
“I think he blames himself. They protected each other for a long time from everything, and even if that didn’t always work out, they found a way to fix it. Her getting infected was the one thing he couldn’t fix, and I think that’s killing him,” You say, trying to keep your voice steady despite the tears threatening your lash line. This kid has a talent for making you cry. “What happened to Tess is nobody’s fault except the stupid fucker that bit her. She made a choice because she knew we wouldn’t be able to do what she wanted us to do, and we have to be okay with that. She would want us to be okay with that even if it’s gonna take some time.” She opens her mouth to say something more, but Joel coming back into the clearing cuts her off. 
“You two wanna paint each other’s nails while we’re here too, or can we start walking?” He asks as he pulls on his backpack. You and Ellie stand, wiping the dirt from your clothes, and walk over to him. 
“Knowing how to keep your hair out of your face could be the difference between life and death, Miller. I’m teaching valuable survival skills here.” 
“Mhm,” He hums, unconvinced. He looks at Ellie as she pulls her jacket on. “We’re gonna go check something out real quick. Be ready to go by the time we get back.” He doesn’t even wait for her to respond before he turns and starts up the path he came from. You sigh in annoyance but follow him anyway. You walk down to the river bank far enough out of Ellie’s earshot before he finally looks you in the eyes for the first time in three days.
“You know we have to take her to the Fireflies, right?” He questions, crossing his arms over his chest. You scoff and glance up to where you left Ellie. 
“Yes, Joel. I understand why we’re traveling across the country with a teenager.” 
“Good. Now, stop getting attached before you get hurt.” He says, and you balk at him. 
“Are you really that pissed I taught her how to braid her fucking hair?” 
“It ain’t about her hair.”
“Then, what is it about? “
“She’s a job. Something we need to deliver so we can move on with our lives.”
“She’s a kid. A scared kid at that, and you’re not making her feel better.”
“Oh, give me a fuckin’ break.” He groans as he walks away from you to pace, his hands on his hips. You cross your arms over your chest and tilt your head back to look at the puffy clouds. You're mostly trying to find the strength to put up his bullshit, but the view is nice, too. It’s silent as you think, the waves lapping at the rocks, the only sound around us. 
“I know you miss her-“
“Don’t.” He whips around to face you. His eyes are heavy and unreadable, the irises almost black. You wonder how long it’s been since he’s gotten actual restful sleep. The answer could range anywhere from three days to twenty years. You almost want to ask. You almost want to reach for his broken hand and tell him it’s okay. You almost want to wrap your arms around him and just hold him. Almost. You shake the buzzing ache for his skin out of your hand and focus.
“I miss her, too, but we both know she saw Ellie as way more than a job. She wouldn’t have done what she did if she thought differently,” You wait for him to get angry and lash out, but he just stands there, staring through you. “Taking care of her or, at least, treating her like a fucking human being is what Tess would’ve wanted. So, that’s what I’m doing. You can keep doing your stoic, pissy thing if that’s what you want, but you don’t get to control what I do, especially when it comes to her.” He grinds his teeth together for a couple of seconds while he thinks. A red bird swoops down and lands on a fallen tree branch not far and sings at us before flitting away. You had always heard that red birds like that were our dead loved ones coming to remind us they were not far away. You never really believed that, and you still don’t know if I do, but the memory pierces your brain with newfound importance. 
When your eyes meet Joel’s again, something has shifted. It’s slight and minuscule, but you recognize it from his arguments with Tess. He’s yielding without words. He’s trusting you. Your body relaxes, and he nods. The whole exchange lasted no more than five seconds but felt like an hour. 
"We can make it to Bill and Frank's today if we start moving now." He says as he walks past you, acting like your conversation didn't happen. You take a deep breath before silently following him. If he heard that stupid bird chirping at you again, he didn't say anything. In the same way, you don't tell him if you saw the stack of rocks on the shoreline.
*TUMBLR STOP DELETING MY LAST PARAGRAPH*
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kataraslove · 8 months
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What the fuck is bro going on about??? Especially the Kya and Izumi like huh??
I won’t comment on the two hour dissertation because I haven’t watched it yet. from what I’ve heard on those that have, half of it is proving why the canon ships are poorly written, while the other half of it is proving why zuko and katara would be the better endgame option.
i will comment on the fact that it would be very easy to create an even longer dissertation on why people ship kataang and why it makes complete sense as the canon ship of avatar, without so much as even bringing zutara in the mix. if i ever get the time to do so, i could look into creating it. because i think there should be more discussion in fandom on the depths of katara and aang’s arcs and relationship. if anyone is interested in helping, please let me know :)
“aesthetic coordination and color synergy is the most important part of any relationship.” i do hope this person is speaking solely in terms of fiction. because how aesthetic two people look beside each other should not be the basis for any healthy, long-lasting relationship, at least not in real life. reality continues to show that two people can look incredibly good beside each other, but can be extremely incompatible.
example: celebrities coordinate their red carpet looks to present as a power couple each year. but in actuality, their relationship deteriorates by the second. in a couple of years, that relationship will no longer cease to exist.
i searched up aesthetic coordination and i couldn’t find a single resource on it. but on the topic of colour synergy, here are the colours that are established as complementaries to one another:
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so you mean to tell me that red and blue aren’t complementary colours, but instead red is complementary with green, and blue is complementary with orange/yellow?
interesting. now which couple do we know of that wears orange/yellow and purple/blue in avatar?
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oh. that explains why katara and aang’s colour palettes go so well together, and why their scenes (in both the show and the comics) and accompanying fanart are always so visually pleasant.
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in regards to oma and shu, they are colour-coded as zuko and katara, just like they are also colour-coded as katara and aang. if we are meant to take the colours seriously, that would imply that oma (the girl) is zuko, and shu (the boy) is katara. if the writers truly wanted zuko and katara to represent omashu, i see absolutely no reason as to why oma couldn’t be depicted in blue and shu couldn’t be depicted in red.
we have confirmation by the writer of the cave of two lovers that the legend of omashu is based off of romeo and juliet. we also have confirmation from the same writer (who also advocated for zutara as the endgame ship, by the way) that the legend of omashu was written to push katara and aang’s love story after direction from mike dimartino and aaron ehasz. the first draft of the story proposed by the writer joshua hamilton was just going to be sokka and a bunch of the nomads. we also have confirmation that avatar’s love (katara and aang’s theme) played while katara was recounting the story of oma and shu.
i truly believe that if oma and shu were meant to be about zuko and katara, joshua hamilton would have no problem stating that it was. instead, he confirms that it was meant to be written with katara and aang in mind, as a part of katara and aang’s love story.
also, zuko and katara aren’t forbidden lovers. they started off as enemies, with the fire nation committing ethnic and cultural genocide against the southern water tribe. the fire nation and the southern water tribe aren’t two fighting sides of an equal battle - it’s one larger nation with all the militaristic power in the world committing colonialism and imperialism on another nation.
katara and aang could not canonically be together because of the war. that is what katara states herself. as soon as the war is over, they are free to pursue a relationship with one another. that aligns itself more with omashu’s story than zuko and katara’s arc from enemies to friends does.
katara being a phenomenal firelady is not canon, just this person’s headcanon. firelady holds no political power in canon. it’s just wife to the firelord. kya and izumi are clearly not twins, but i suspect this is part of the “katara secretly cheated on aang with zuko” set of headcanons.
lastly, zuko is the father that stepped up? yeah, okay. let’s assume that aang is this horrible, awful dad that people make him out to be. that would mean that zuko was complicit in allowing his best friend to traumatize his children for life. kya and bumi hold no relationship with zuko whatsoever. but sure, he’s definitely the father that stepped up.
finally, father and secret lover of the year zuko did next to nothing in ensuring katara canonically received her worth and recognition among the world, even after her actual husband’s passing. isn’t zuko also co-founder of republic city? so where is katara’s statue?
what you have sent me is someone speaking an entire different language, about an entire different character that they created. but headcanons are not canon, no matter how much this person wants them to be.
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neolxzr · 8 months
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you do see my point though, I was saying that yes a piece of media can have a character imply they are queer, but it’s frustrating when they won’t explicitly confirm such, because of (in the case of… checks app store purchase statistics…. A multi million dollar game franchise!) the need to market to as many people as possible. Shumika will never be “canon” because some people just don’t like shumika and won’t spend money on the game if shu and mika are in a relationship, whether or not that’s because they like the ship or the characters or are genuinely homophobic or whatnot. If the writing team cared about telling a love story, they would tell a love story, not go “well maybe they’re in love, it’s up to viewer interpretation!” like this works, sometimes it adds to the meaning of the work, but enstars really doesn’t have an excuse for their constant “this character might have feelings for this other character, but we’ll never have them say it out loud!” except the fact it makes them a lot of money, since they can market to people who like a character being the way they want that character to be, whether that’s with that character being in love with another in game character or self-shipping or whatever else. Outside of shipping, this is why some characters like Shinobu haven’t changed despite wanting to change (he continuously talks about how he wants to be more mature and taken seriously but his cards continue to make him look small and cute because his fans like that about him and god forbid we change anything!) I just think enstars should not be your first thought when someone asks you about a good piece of queer media because they’re doing just about the same job as large cast games with characters of the same gender (minus Arashi) who continue to have characters go “we’ll do all these things to imply we could be in love, but we’ll never have our characters actually date! teehee!”
i can understand being frustrated about your ships not being "confirmed", but the obsession with what is "canon" and "not canon" is just straight up not a very interesting discussion to have. what happyele's or the writers' agenda is is not of particular importance to me. one of the first things they teach you in classes about media analysis is that once a work is out there, the intentions of the creator no longer matter. the only thing that matters in your analysis is your own thoughts and the way you interpret a text.
if we were having a conversation about how much the creator of something sucks, then sure, talk about that all you want, but i am specifically referring to discussions about the piece of media and these characters and their relationships and their growth and the themes of the work etc. those things are removed from whether or not the company writes the way they do because of profit motives or whatever. companies make money, that's just what to expect. if you want art that is free of profit motives, read something by an independent creator.
even so, it feels strange to place enstars into the bucket of "stuff that should be gayer but the bad company that makes it wont let it be" because the characters ARE so very openly queer. there are so many instances in it where characters pour their heart out to each other or offer themselves to another character in beautiful and poetic ways, and i think it's wrong to claim it doesn't count because they didn't confirm their relationship status at the end of it. if you ask me, there is absolutely no way to interpret enstars in a way completely free of queerness. there is so much explicitly queer text that ignoring it is just plain incorrect. but, if homophobic people like this game and choose to look the other way at all of the gay shit, again, that is not my problem.
why is canonization the only thing that matters? is a shitty BL with awful writing better and more worthwhile than enstars as a queer narrative because the characters had explicit gay sex on screen? are poorly written gay characters in the background of other media with nothing going on more worth talking about than shumika or wataei or rinniki or whoever else just because they say the words 'i'm gay' out loud?
queerness is so much more than all of that. it is so much more than labels and it is so much more than relationships that are easy to understand. it is so much more than the extremely narrow view of it that the internet has concocted about it over the last few years, where you’re only allowed to talk about queerness if you yourself are openly queer and out of the closet, and even then you’re only allowed to make art that makes for “good representation.” that is just so incredibly limiting. i would rather tons of companies who are trying to profit off fujoshis make vaguely gay media with unconfirmed romances and relationships that aren't easily defined by labels than have less queer art in the world.
more queer art means more queer people who will find something to really connect to. more queer art means telling more queer stories. why should who is allowed to write lgbtq media be limited? why should the kind of media people are allowed to make be limited?
its fine to criticize happyelements if youre unsatisfied with the way they do things, im not always 100% in love with everything they do either. i wouldn't even consider enstars to be the worlds' best example of a queer piece of media. but no one is forcing you to like or engage with it or give the company money if you're unhappy with how they write and market their game. they don't owe anyone explicit confirmation that any of their characters are dating, and it doesn't even matter if they do provide that confirmation or not.
regardless of who made it or for what reason, queer stories are worth talking about, "canon" or not.
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911 Spoilers Season 5: You’ve been warned. 😅 Buddie Rewatch
Episode 1: Panic
LA is in shambles. The 118 are searching the area, with Bobby leading the way and Buck and Eddie right behind him, Chim and Hen are behind Eddie.  Buck and Eddie both have an axes.
The camera focuses on Buck as he looks towards Eddie’s direction. The camera pans to Eddie who is looking over at something in the distance, his face is serious. We hear something squawk. They walk past the big bird.
You can really tell that the show had a budget increase, because the beginning shots look really good, with all the animals and the camera shots. It pans to the 118 standing next to each other looking out at the chaos. Hen and Bobby are in between Buck and Eddie.
We saw the directors/writers separating Buck and Eddie a little bit in season 4. I think it gets significantly more obvious this Season, but honestly if your not focused on it, you won’t notice.
One Week Earlier: Buck is playing pool against Eddie, and stating Eddie’s relationship must be getting serious. Eddie is confused by the comment. Buck explains that meeting the parents is a big step.
Eddie tries to counter that point by stating he his meeting the entire family. Her uncles, aunts, and cousins. (I don’t know what point he was trying to make, because that’s more serious than just meeting the parents). He specifies that it’s just a baby christening.
Buck again points out that it sounds serious to him. Hen chimes in, trying to help Eddie by stating “It’s not like it’s Ana and Eddie’s baby, Buck.” Chimney walks up only hearing the tail end of the convo and says, “That’s right, baby Buck”.
Eddie explains that Ana’s sister is having a baby and that Chris and him are invited to the christening. Buck is standing in the background looking towards Eddie as he explains.
Chim has the same sentiment as Buck, believing it’s serious. Buck starts laughing. Eddie looks over at his direction as he tries to explain that they are making it more serious than what it actually is.
Buck explains to Eddie that this is the next step in their relationship. She’s showing him off to the entire family. Describing it as the opening scene of the God father. Eddie is looking directly at Buck as he’s processing what is being said. Bobby finally cuts in to correct Buck about the christening being the last scene.
Bobby the entire time has been sitting at this table, just watching the back and forth. His head nods and smiles, lead to me believing he was on Buck’s side before he even opened his mouth to confirm that he was.
We get this gif;
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There is no heterosexual explanation of the way they looked at each other in this moment. I’ve seen this moment in so many posts and after awhile I convinced myself that it was a fan edit, because of the tension and the longing looks. But no this is canon.
Eddie starts talking about how excited Christopher is for the christening, that they tried on his old suit. The suit is now too small and how he needs to buy him a new one. Just commenting on how fast Chris is growing.
Eddie mentioning that the last time Chris wore a suit was at his mother’s funeral. The mood in the room slightly shifts, but all their phones start to go off. Bobby gets an earthquake alert. Buck gets a tsunami alert. Eddie gets a mudslide alert. (That’s just cruel of the writers to do).
Buck looks genuinely worried at this moment. His eyes are wide as he asks why the bell isn’t going off.
Car driven off the pier: Eddie and Buck dive into the river. They swim towards the car, holding their breaths. Eddie flashes a light into the vehicle as Buck pulls the door open.
Eddie swims closer to the vehicle, guiding the victim into his arms and pulling her out.  They swim to the surface. Buck and Eddie keep her above the surface as they look around and acknowledge the chaos around them.
Taylor and Buck are in bed watching a news report about the GPS incident. Taylor is in her underwear and on her laptop focused on the story.
Buck pulls the laptop away, Taylor protests for only a second, until Buck tries to close the gap between them.  Buck is hovering over her as he explains that what happened was just a bug and that an update will be up by tomorrow.
Buck leans down and they start kissing. It’s very sensual. We get an over head shot of Buck on top. Taylor takes control and guides herself on top of Buck. She uses the moment to kill the mood and grab Bucks phone to look at the app that caused the accidents.
She hops off of Buck. Buck lays there disappointed. Taylor pieces together that the incident wasn’t just a weird bug, it has to be something more serious. Buck sits up at this realization.
Eddie is trying on suits. He’s looking into a mirror as Ana stands behind him telling him he looks good. Eddie points out that they aren’t there for him.
Ana takes this moment to maneuver in front of him stating “oh, but you look so good”, causing Eddie to chuckle. She suggests he try on a tie and he agrees.
As Ana walks over towards the ties, Eddie turns, watching her walk away and states, “You really love getting me dressed up, don’t you?” Ana responds with “And the other thing.”  Eddie gives her a quick smirk and gives her the shushing gesture.
This moment is also sensual up until the sales clerk approaches Ana and Eddie urns his attention towards Chris.
Chris is in the changing room when Eddie asks Chris how he’s doing and offering to help. Chris denies the offer for help and says he’s got it. Chris steps out of the dressing room as Eddie gasses him up and the sales clerk walks over complimenting him as well.
Chris vocalizes that he thinks he looks funny, Eddie stating this is the third suit he’s tried on. Chris expressing that he thinks he looks terrible. The sales clerk trying to be helpful, tries to ask Ana for her opinion, but mistakenly refers to her as Chris’s mother.
Ana gets a little awkward, but quickly corrects the clerk by stating she is not his mother. Eddie looks completely taken back by the comment, his mouth wide open in shock.
Eddie composes himself, but not before Ana could see his reaction. She walks towards them as she explains she is just a friend.
I felt so bad for Ana at this moment, because they are in this store picking out suits for her family event. This would be the first time she’s introducing the man she’s been intimate with and pursing a relationship with, an arguably big step in the relationship. And she’s telling aa random sales clerk they are just friends because she saw Eddie react so negatively to a comment.
Some may argue that Eddie reacted that way because of the implication Ana is replacing Shannon as Chris’s mom, but that just doesn’t feel right. If that was the vibe, I believe Ana would have specified that she’s the girlfriend or they’re in a new relationship. She wouldn’t have felt the need to say friend.
Ana hands Eddie the tie she picked out. Eddie still looking awkward takes the tie and moves away from her and Chris. Ana walks over to Chris. The camera pans to Eddie’s uneasy face. We hear Chris explain the specifics of the event to the sales clerk.
Eddie is swaying back and forth slightly. The camera work becomes disorienting. The conversation happening becomes more muffled as Eddie turns around to look at Ana and Chris.
Eddie is in a confused state, he collapses to the ground. Ana runs towards him, calling his name. Ana’s standing over him as he’s on the ground gasping for air. His eyes are wide open and we hear Chris call out for his dad.
Eddies in a hospital bed, with wires placed all over his chest. Ana and Chris are sitting right besides him. The doctor walks in giving Eddie the good news that it wasn’t a heart attack.
Eddie is confused because he really believed he was having a heart attack. Eddie is quick to deny that he had a panic attack. He looks over at Ana and Chris as he states that he doesn’t panic.
The Doctor explains that panic attacks aren’t rational, but can be an indication to some underlying anxiety. Eddie denies any new stressors as the camera cuts to Ana listening and paying close attention to the conversation.
Eddie specifically states, “No. Nothing. It’s been great. Right?” as he looks at Ana and asks for her confirmation. Ana hesitates to respond. Chris cuts in and tells the Doctor that his dad was shot.
Ana cleared her throat and added that Eddie was shot about 4 months ago and almost died.
This means Eddie and Ana have had this relationship for 5 maybe 6 months. At this point in many people’s relationship, you have a pretty clear understanding of how serious the relationship is. The uncertainty in this relationship makes it a situation ship.
Eddie vocalizes that he no longer even thinks about the shooter. That he doesn’t think the shooting has anything to do with what just happened. The doctor suggests that he may be repressing those emotions. Eddie counters that he is just moving forward.
Doctor hands Eddie a pamphlet about managing panic attacks. Ana is processing all the information, not stating a thing. Eddie tries to deny it, but looks over at Ana and reluctantly agrees to take it. He repeats, “I don’t panic.”
Air Tower: As the team is walking into the tower, Buck is right behind Bobby and Eddie is behind Buck. Something I want to note right now is that almost every time Bobby is leading the way, Buck can be found slightly to the right or left of him.
Eddie looks down at the victim, he becomes slightly uneasy himself. Chimney gets his attention and reminds him that he’s suppose to be attaching wires to their victim.
Eddie starts to dig into his bag to pull out the wires. Hen looks around the room and notices the lack of air traffic control happening.
Buck is crouched down next to Eddie as the victim goes into v-fib. Buck helps place charging pads down onto the victim’s chest. As Eddie calls all clear and shocks the victim, Buck is prepared with the manual air pump.
The victim revives and Buck tells him that he just had a heart attack. As they are celebrating this win, Eddie starts to get up. He notices another one of the workers grabbing on to their own chest.  As Eddie gets up, he places his hand on Buck shoulders and quickly heads over to the other worker asking how he feels.
The worker starts to breath heavily and asks if he’s also having a heart attack. As Eddie tells him not necessarily, it could be a panic attack. The guy collapses out of his seat. Eddie quickly guiding him to the ground trying to prevent him from getting hurt as he falls.
As the 118 starts walking out the two victims, the manager collapses as well, as the towers system is being highjacked.
Absolute Chaos/ Ransomware:  The 118 are bringing in the three victims into the hospital. The cardiologist on duty recognizes Eddie and states she didn’t expect him back so soon. She asks him how he’s feeling. Buck looks over at the doctor with wide eyes and confusion as Eddie expresses that he’s good.
Eddie signals to Buck to keep moving as they guide the victim to the appropriate station. Buck is looking at Eddie with disbelief and confusion, expecting to get an explanation.
Bobby offers the 118’s help to the hospital as they try to manage the chaos of the ransomware.
Buck and Eddie are manually bagging two patients. Buck is confused and trying to process the new information he just learned. Buck turns to look back at Eddie and asks what was with the doctor on the way in.  He wondering why she asked him if he’s all right.
Eddie states that it’s no big deal, practically nothing. That he wasn’t feeling well the other day so he came to the hospital to get checked up.
Buck points out that she’s a cardiologist, basically calling out Eddie’s minimization of his symptoms.  Buck asks if Eddie had a heart attack, which Eddie quickly denies.
Eddie is trying to get Buck to just drop the topic of conversation. That is when Hen and Chim walk over and offer to take over bagging duties.
Buck looks over at Eddie, a little angry as he states that sounds like a great idea, Eddie shouldn’t be over exerting himself.  Eddie visibly annoyed by the statement. Hen and Chimney noticing the weird tension between the two of them as they walk away, in two separate directions.  
Buck walks over to a tv in the hospital that is reporting on how the city is being attacked by cyber criminals. The power in the entire city goes out.
The hospital power went out, Eddie points out that the generator should have already kicked in. As the 118 is preparing to go find and fix the generators they hear a large crash from the roof.
They run out side and look up to see the helicopter that was landing, is now hanging off the side of the building.  
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fangirleaconmigo · 2 years
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Looking forward to the “Gerald plays it cool but secretly loves Jaskier’s singing” I can’t believe it’s not Fanon. That’s my favorite trope! :D Also who wouldn’t think Jaskier sounds amazing based on his Netflix voice at least!
Ask and ye shall receive!
I Can’t Believe it’s Not Fanon
Facts that sound like Geraskier fic writers made them up, but are in fact, book canon.
Geralt plays it cool, but he secretly thinks Jaskier has a beautiful voice.
We know Dandelion is famous and renowned. But singers aren’t always necessarily famous because they have the most beautiful voices. They can have decent voices and just be good entertainers, very attractive, have catchy songs, etc. But we actually know that Dandelion’s voice is enchanting. In fact, it is so beautiful, it has saved his life multiple times.
One time, it soothes a werewolf.
Right before dawn, while it was still dark, a hungry, vicious werewolf crept up to their camp, but saw that it was Dandelion, so he listened for a moment, then went on his way.
The Sword of Destiny pg 246
Another time, it keeps the dryads from killing him. The dryads, who kill any man on sight without mercy, spare his life because as soon as he is in arrow shot, he sits down and sings. Instead of killing him, a group of dryads emerge and listen to him sing. Then they demand that he sing more.
Geralt however, won’t openly express admiration of his voice. When he finds Dandelion serenading the dryads he says:
“Dandelion.”
“Geralt!”
“Yes, it’s me. You can stop that racket now.”
But later, we see that he knows which ballads are Dandelion’s and which belong to other people. So we know he pays attention.
“The concert you gave was clearly to their liking. Now you’re ard táedh, “the great bard.” They’re waiting for the next part of ‘The Flower of Ettariel’. Do you know the rest? It’s not your ballad, after all.”
Time of Contempt, p210-212
In Season of Storms, Geralt also stubbornly refuses to express admiration for Dandelion’s voice. It’s a hilarious passage.
“You know, you've never congratulated me on my ballads," Dandelion suddenly spoke up. "I've composed and sung so many of them in your company. But you've never said: That was nice, I'd like you to play that again. You've never said that."
"You're right I haven't. Do you want to know why?"
"Yes."
"Because I've never wanted to"
"Would it be such a sacrifice?" asked the bard, not giving up. "Such a hardship? To say: Play that again, Dandelion. Play As Time Passes."
“Play it again, Dandelion. Play As Time Passes."
"You said that quite without conviction."
"So what? You'll play it anyway."
"You'd better believe it."
--Season of Storms, pg 351
However, despite Geralt’s protests (honestly he probably just thinks that Dandelion has a big enough ego already lol), the narrator tells on him.
In Sword of Destiny, Geralt is listening to Dandelion and Essi sing and the narrator tells us how he really feels.
"Geralt lay on a makeshift bed of spruce branches with his hands under his head and thought he had never heard such beautiful voices or such beautiful ballads.
--Sword of Destiny, pg 245
So there you have it. Canon confirmation that Geralt thinks Dandelion has one of the most beautiful voices he has ever heard.
And I like to think that Dandelion’s music is one way he makes Geralt’s life that much better.
In stories set in medieval times with no tv, movies, or recorded music, storytellers and troubadours are luxuries.
So Dandelion is a luxury that Geralt can afford because Dandelion just needs some love and the odd adventure, and Geralt has plenty of both of those things.
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leemillion · 8 months
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CALLING ALL PRESTON GOODPLAY LOVERS (aka me)
IM MAKING A PLAYLIST
FOR THE ONE AN ONLY 😌
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AND I NEED SONGS THAT REMIND YOU OF HIM. WHETHER THAT BE DIFFERENT STAGES OF HIS LIFE (canon or headcanon) OR YKNOW JUST WHATEVER GIVES YOU THE ✨VIBES✨
I’D LOVE SOME OUTSIDE OPINIONS ON THIS
HERE’S THE SONGS I ALREADY HAVE IN ORDER:
Introduction to the Snow - Miracle Musical (gives me the ✨vibes✨)
Look Who’s Inside Again - Bo Burnham (Think it would describe his childhood. At least a part of it)
Am I Supposed To Apologize? - Maria Mena (It’s %90 percent here because of a few short lyrics that would imply him discovering his love of theater. The other %10 is because I have a headcanon he’s a child of divorce parents.)
My Play - AJR (C’mon man it seems pretty self explanatory if you’ve listened to it. Plus it adds onto the divorced parents theory)
The Main Character - Will Wood (It’s literally him. C’mon man. The vibes. Also you cannot tell me he wouldn’t be a huge Will Wood fan.)
Hard to Be the Bard - Something Rotten! (He’s a writer✨ An artist✨ It can’t possibly be easy 😔)
Soldier, Poet, King - The Oh Hellos (Now this one is more the Performance Trio as a whole but still. Preston is the poet, obviously 😌 while Nerris is the soldier and Harrison is the ruler.)
I/Me/Myself - Will Wood (Because he's just so ✨gender✨ Plus if you headcanon him as gender-fluid it makes this even better.)
Oh No! - Marina & The Diamonds (A desire to succeed. To make it big in this world. He knows what he wants and he won’t stop at nothing to get it. He definitely has a fear of failure. And who’s to say he doesn’t feel like he’s the worst? He already acts like he’s the best. Who’s to say that’s not a cover up?)
Everybody Loves Me - OneRepublic (Consider this the beginning of Preston Goodplay’s Good Play. He finally has a performance piece that people seem to like. He’s finally getting the love and attention he so deserves 😌 But at what cost?)
Non-Stop - Hamilton (Turns out his new performance is the only thing people seem to want. So why not just keep writing up new ideas for it? Sure he’ll eventually run out. But right now’s not eventually! He’ll just have to keep coming up with new ideas for it! Thing is it’s getting a lot more stressful than he intended.)
Left Brain, Right Brain - Bo Burnham (Oh Y’know just that one scene where he’s arguing with his own fucking reflection. Unsure whether he should sell out and give the people what they want, or follow what he wants with the risk that no one would like it.)
Show & Tell - Melanie Martínez (Ok this is getting ridiculous. They’ve started showing up to his practices and commenting on HIS writing process. It’s overwhelming. But what can he do about it? They’re his target audience. Well his only audience but still-)
Everyone is Dumb - Mazie x Everybody Likes You - Lemon Demon (Seems self explanatory. Everyone actually pays attention to him now. They’re excited for his performances. Everyone likes him. But they’re also stupid. It’s a stupidly simple performance that’s virtually the same every time. Yet they never get tired of it. Yes they like him, but is it worth it if this is the reason they like him.)
Shine A Light (Reprise) - Heathers (Oh y’know just the silly little nightmare he has :,D And then the hallucinations of his own reflection laughing at him. Plus him pulling out that prop knife uh- was he just being dramatic or??? Like he did have a bit of a psychotic break, man’s was hallucinating. How do we know he didn’t think the knife was real? Like was he actually trying to- y’know? Seriously is he ok-??)
Are You Satisfied - Marina & The Diamonds (He talks to David for a bit. And something’s called to question. Is he satisfied with this? He’s worried about his future yes, but then again what’s the point of making art if he doesn’t actually like it himself. It’s pointless. And he realizes no one else should get a say in what he wants to create. It’s his problem. No one else’s.)
Drama Club - Melanie Martinez (Honestly just doesn’t give a shit about anyone’s opinions anymore and that’s kind of a good thing. Even if they hate it. “Any reaction, positive or negative, is still a reaction :D” As tomatoes are pelted towards him. Honestly a healthier mentality than he had before. And I think that’s the end of the Preston Goodplay’s Good Play section of the playlist!)
Recess - Melanie Martinez (I’m here for Preston’s grandmother raising him and teaching him everything she knows 🗣️🗣️🗣️ Stg every lyric fucking fits. Also I think this could apply to his new mentality of “Fuck you it’s my art not yours I do what I want.” A nice little summary to the fiasco that is Preston Goodplay’s Good play.)
Mirror Man - Jack Stauber’s Opal (Mostly just gives me Preston vibes. His desire to become famous and what not.)
Art Is Dead - Bo Burnham (Vibesss man. “I am an artist, please god forgive me. I am an artist, please don't revere me. I am an artist, please don't respect me I am an artist, you're free to correct me. A self-centered artist. Self-obsessed artist. I am an artist. I am an artist. But I'm just a kid. I'm just a kid. I'm just a kid, kid. And maybe I'II grow out of it”)
Finale (Can’t Wait To See What You Do Next) - AJR (Honestly just thought it’d be cool to have the last song in the playlist be called Finale 💀 But I think it’s a nice little summary of his character. A final bow if you will 😌)
Anyways that’s about it. If anyone else has suggestions or input on the songs already here feel free to! Hell if you happen to disagree with anything feel free to. I love discussions about things I like :D Also feel free to suggest songs that you think I should add 😌 Gonna go pass out now baiiii
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neverwritewhatyouknow · 9 months
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I was waiting to post this next week when the movie comes out, but I’ll just make a repost if anything changes.
Let’s talk about Nora, Red, White & Royal Blue, and how from the very first meeting there was Jew-erasure.
Book!Nora is 100% Jewish. No debate. She is. Canonically. Fully. She’s a Jew.
Now, when a book is adapted into a movie (or a TV show) it goes through steps. The first is the script adaptation and all the meetings involved with that. Then the pre-production meetings.
When adapting a novel, the screenwriter will read the book and work on writing the physical script. If the author of the book is alive, they will very likely have input. They will go through writing a draft, getting approval, writing another, that will continue on for a while until the production draft is ready to go.
When RWRB went from book to script, Matthew wrote and directed it, with a co-writer Ted Malawer who is a literary agent and a playwrite (who has literally written a gay Hitler rom-com stageplay and some extremely self-hating things about Jews btw, might make another post about how Jews have self-hatred for the sake of comedy or to fit in). With Casey also being credited for their novel and script input. It was here that they thought about what they wanted to keep and what they wanted to get rid of. It was here that they decided that Nora would no longer be Jewish in the movie.
Now, I do want to take this time and say that I was wrong for saying that Rachel (not Jewish) was playing a Jewish role. Because while Nora is Jewish canonically, because they wrongly decided to erase that in early stages, movie!Nora to them was never considered Jewish at all. Therefore they don’t consider the casting of a non-Jew as a Jewish character wrong, since in the movie, they never had Nora as Jewish ever. I was never mad at Rachel, but the circumstances in which I was under the impression that she was playing a Jewish character while not being so herself. I’m not ashamed to say that I was wrong about that, the movie hadn’t come out, I was relying on all the same info we all had. Nora was Jewish in the book, why wouldn’t she be onscreen? But then, it became clear she’s not Jewish and based on the reactions from the cast and crew… She never was to them.
With that being said, the problem still remains. Nora, a canonically Jewish character, had her ethnicity and religion erased. Why? Nora is still in the movie, why not just keep her Jewish? Why during the initial writing phase did they decide to just ignore that and erase her ethnicity completely? And why do they refuse to own up to it? Was it Ted’s self-hatred of all things Jewish? (‘Cause, like, please take care of that, bro). Was it Amazon not wanting a Jewish character? The executive producers wanting a visually diverse cast and not thinking Jews were a minority enough? While completely ignoring Jews of color? Was it Casey not understanding that they wrote a Jewish character that could be important onscreen?
Whatever it was. They decided very early on that to them, Nora wasn’t Jewish.
There won’t be mentions of it in the movie, because Nora isn’t Jewish in this universe.
The reactions from the cast and crew make so much sense now. For a long time I was calling them out for casting a non-Jewish actress in a Jewish role, but I had it slightly wrongly worded. They erased the Jewish role, period. I should’ve been calling them out on removing the Jewishness from Nora just straight up. Regardless of the actress. Just solely based on the fact that the character isn’t Jewish anymore at all and to them, she never was.
What RWRB did wasn’t okay. They looked at a canonically Jewish character and said “Fuck her, she doesn’t have to be Jewish anymore,” and erased all of her Jewishness. Nora was a badass Jewish girl. But in the movie’s universe she’s not Jewish, never has been, and the cast and crew of the movie have never considered her Jewish at all. Think about how you’d feel if you had your canon representation literally erased without a second thought. Jewish girls never get to see themselves onscreen in a positive light where their Jewishness isn’t the “thing” about them. This was an opportunity to show the world who Jewish people are, how amazing, smart, talented, sexy, and more we are. But nope. RWRB hated that idea from the jump, and Casey cared more about finding the proper ice cream than keeping Jewish rep
That’s shitty. That’s erasure. And based on the reactions of the highest crew members, there’s some hatred and ignorance there as well.
If the movie changes any of this, I’ll update. But, I’m fairly certain it won’t.
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